PRECISION SCHEDULED RAILROADING - Rail Customer Coalition

UNDERSTANDING HOW IT IMPACTS RAILROAD SAFETY, SERVICE, AND INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

America needs an efficient rail network. But unwise cuts threaten safety, harm rail customers, and jeopardize economic growth.

In recent years, most major U.S. railroads have adopted Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), a new operating model intended to streamline rail operations.

Under PSR, railroads are seeking to cut or offload their costs to improve operating margins and boost profits.

This means

FEWER
EMPLOYEES

Total railroad employment has declined, with railroads slashing tens of thousands of jobs, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

LOWER CAPITAL SPENDING

Railroads have closed switch yards and other facilities, and reduced infrastructure investments.

SHIFTING
COSTS TO RAIL CUSTOMERS

Railroads have collected billions of dollars in demurrage fees and related charges, and forced customers to buy rail cars and build siding capacity.

CUTS TO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Railroads have cut crews, threatening service reliability, and provide fewer on-the-ground resources to resolve service problems.

IS PSR REALLY A GOOD DEAL FOR EVERYONE, OR JUST ANOTHER BOOST TO THE RAILROADS’ BOTTOM LINE?

CONGRESS NEEDS TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT PSR TO PROTECT THE FUTURE OF FREIGHT RAIL.

To gain a better understanding of the full impacts of PSR, Congress must examine how its implementation has already affected the nation’s freight rail network and what it means for our nation’s economic future.

Congress should require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a comprehensive study of PSR, including its impacts on:

Safety

Workforce

Fees and other costs imposed on shippers

Quality and reliability of service

Network capacity

Investment in rail infrastructure

We must ensure that the U.S. freight rail network is

Safe,
Reliable,
And resilient.

This requires maintaining an adequate workforce and equipment level to properly handle rail shipments, and ensuring that our nation’s freight rail network is resilient enough to accommodate increased traffic and economic growth.